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Raider GE78
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Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·

For a balance of performance and portability, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 is ideal with its slim design and touchscreen display, making it excellent for general use and on-the-go productivity. However, if you prioritize top-tier gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering tasks, the MSI Raider GE78's powerful processor and high-end graphics card will deliver superior performance, albeit at the cost of portability and battery life. The MSI's larger screen with a higher refresh rate is also better suited for fast-paced gaming and detailed visual work, while the Surface Laptop's screen is more portable and still offers a high-quality visual experience for everyday tasks. Consider the MSI for intensive applications and the Surface Laptop for a blend of productivity and mobility. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE78
  • Very good for general use
  • Excellent for engineering and design
  • Best in class for gaming and AI
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall display quality
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
  • Very good portability

Key differences

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General Use

8.7
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
7.7
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
384.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.

Gaming and AI

9.5
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
6.6
9.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is only fair.

Engineering and Design

9.4
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
7.7
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.

Content Creation

8.8
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
7.7
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.

Software Development

8.5
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
7.7
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.

Screen Quality

8.6
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
7.8
17.3in
SIZE
13.5in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
384.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.

Battery

6.0 Hours
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
9.0 Hours
The MSI Raider GE78 has 6 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has 9 hours of battery life.

Portability

Poor
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
13.5in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has very good portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

8.5
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
7.4
The MSI Raider GE78 has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has good build quality.

Cost

$4,386
Raider GE78
Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
$1,200
Product image
Product image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

$3,500

$4,000

The MSI Raider GE78 has a price of $4,386 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" costs $1,200.
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How the MSI Raider GE78 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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MSI Raider GE78Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
MSI Raider GE78Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"

GENERAL

Price
$4,386
$1,200
Release Date
May 1, 2023June 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
15'' x 11.7'' x 1.13''12.1'' x 8.8'' x 0.66''
Weight
6.83 lbs3.04 lbs
Width
14.97"12.13"
Depth
11.73"8.78"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i9-13980HXIntel Core Ultra 7 135H
RAM
32 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
20
Storage
2048 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
6 Hours9 Hours
Battery Capacity
99.9 Wh47 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
17.3"13.5"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2560 x 16002256 x 1504
Refresh Rate
240Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
384 nits400 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
8.5/107.4/10
Portability Score
5.6/108.7/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoYes
Fan Noise Score
6.5/108/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
9.5/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
9.5/108/10
Webcam
1080p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
21
USB-C ports
31
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
41
Thunderbolt Version
44

Shopping

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MSI Raider GE78

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Allen Ngo | March 2023
"Performance-wise, the GE78 offers a significant boost over the GE77 for just slightly higher power consumption. You'll have to get the RTX 4080 or 4090 configurations to see the performance advantages, however, as the RTX 4070 is closer in performance to the older RTX 3080 Ti. In terms of design, some users might prefer the 16:9 minimalistic look of the older GE77 over the 16:10 retro-inspired GE78 and vice versa. We wouldn't call one better than the other in terms of aesthetics, but we'll give the edge to the GE78 for its stronger hinges and larger keys and clickpad."

Get a great deal on the MSI Raider GE78 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"

About MSI

MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.

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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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